Bump leads to fight over woman

A fight at The Depot late Thursday night led to two men being arrested by Covington Police officers for disorderly conduct.

Richard Lee Hicks Jr., 41, and 28-year-old John David Talisman were both spotted by officers inside the popular bar surrounded by a large group of people who seemed to be arguing, according to reports. Officers state that as they approached the group, they found Hicks and Talisman being pulled apart. Officers began to assist, each grabbing a man by the arm and walking him outside for a chat.

Once outside Hicks reportedly told an officer that his wife had been dancing in The Depot and that she and Talisman had bumped into one another. According to reports, Hicks allegedly told officers that instead of ignoring the bump, Talisman called his wife a profane name and then proceeded to "get in her face."

Hicks then reportedly told officers that Talisman pulled his girlfriend in between himself and Hicks’ wife and told her to get Hicks’ wife off of him, using profanity once more and calling the woman a name as well. According to reports, Hicks said that it was at this point that he got into the mix and he and Talisman began fighting.

Officers asked Hicks who hit whom in the altercation between him and Talisman and Hicks allegedly told officers he wasn’t sure if Talisman actually hit him but then later changed his mind and said he was sure Talisman was the one who had hit him.

Hicks had blood in his mouth, according to reports, but officers said they heard Hicks’ wife say that he sometimes bites his tongue. Hicks’ wife’s account of the incident mirrored her husband’s, according to reports.

Officers did note in their report that during their conversation with Hicks and his wife, they were constantly telling Mrs. Hicks to calm down and to stop antagonizing the situation by "making rude comments" to Talisman’s girlfriend.

Talisman reportedly told officers that he and Mrs. Hicks had been joking around throughout the night and that Hicks got angry about that. He allegedly said that when Hicks got angry he [Talisman] went and stood behind his girlfriend at which point Hicks came at him swinging.

At that point, according to Talisman, other people at The Depot began to pull the feuding men apart while Hicks’ wife and Talisman’s girlfriend continued to argue. According to witnesses, Hicks was the one pursuing Talisman and even hit a witness in his effort to get to the man. The witness did not want to press charges even though he reportedly stated he was hit in the mouth.

After several other witnesses told the same story of the altercation, both Hicks and Talisman were placed under arrest and transported to the Newton County Detention Center where they were both charged with disorderly conduct.